WHAT I WORE: The Vamps

Last week a couple of friends and I took a trip to Birmingham to see The Vamps. Seeing these boys is always one of the highlights of my year, as is meeting up with the friends I have met through them. I've been a huge fan of them since they first started out so it's always such an emotional time when we see them performing to a whole arena! As always they put on the most amazing show, made even better when we were able to upgrade our tickets to the VIP area for free! I thought some of you may be interested in what I wore and why, so here you go!

(I'm the second from the left in the photo) I chose to wear skirt with no tights because I knew I'd be jumping around and get super hot, so I went for an A-Line number from New Look. I'm loving this shade of blue at the moment and it's super comfortable. I teamed it with a similar shade of blue cami, again from New Look. I have this cami in about 5 different colours- It's great in the summer, but also to wear if you know you're going to be somewhere where you'll be getting pretty sweaty!

Check out the pictures below and let me know what you think!

Workout Wear- Whole Outfit for £30

Workout clothes annoy me. Wearing something you feel good in motivates you when you're working out, but costs a bomb. The former, I want. The latter, not so much. When I started a work out DVD a couple of weeks ago, I realised the one outfit I had wasn't enough, and prepared to spend no more than £50, I headed out on a bargain hunt. I'll give you 3 guesses where I ended up... YOU GOT IT, TkMaxx! I spent a little over £30 and got some lovely, great quality fitness gear! I am so far impressed with everything I picked up, the quality is incredible and they actually look pretty good, I was worried that I'd run back to Adidas and Nike, but nope, there's no need. Check out what I got below!

New Experience: Learning To Surf

Last Friday Dan and I headed down to Croyde in Devon for a couple of days to get away from the stresses that we're currently facing at home. The break was exactly what we needed and we had the best weekend ever (I'll do a post on the full holiday soon!) Whilst we were there we spoke about how we wanted to try loads of new experiences, and how better to start off than with Surfing?!

I've ALWAYS wanted to try surfing, I watched my Dad do it when I was young but never got round to trying it myself. Luckily, about a 2 minute walk away from where we were staying, there was a little building by the beach run by a company called Surf South West. We enquired about surfing lessons and were pleasnently suprised when we were told that for a 2 hour lesson, it was only £34 each (£32 on weekdays) and that included all of the gear you need, and the board. Brill. We booked it for 10 am the next day.

Sunday came around and we were so excited to get out in the sea. The sun was shining, and we got down to the beach to get kitted up. All of the staff we met were lovely, they talked us through everything we needed to know, helped us get the correct sized wetsuits, shoes, gloves etc and we were good to go. As Dan and I were total newbies, and the other 3 guys on our lesson weren't we split up and were taught the basics of how to get onto the board and ride a wave (that sounds so corny!) Then we hopped in the mini bus and were driven down to a beach called Saunton, where we headed into the sea.

Now let me tell you something, a surfboard is WAY heavier than I ever expected, It literally took me so much effort to carry (drag) it all the way to the sea! Anyway, we then got in and were shown by the instructor how to you know, surf and stuff. I wiped out the first time and had a lovely mouthfull of salty sea water (yuk!) but after that, I was actually pretty impressed with myself!

Bearing in mind it's March, Dan's hands got super cold and we had to get out about 10 mins before everyone else, but even so, we had the best time and really want to improve and try it again.

If you're ever on holiday and thinking of trying surfing I would 100% recommend giving it a go, and if you're anywhere near Croyde then Surf South West are the people to see!

Have you ever tried surfing? Or can you recommend any other activities I should try out?! Let me know.

Blonde on a Budget

Regular visits to the hairdressers can get expensive, and as I'm currently saving every single one of my hard earned pennies, I've had to cut down on how often I treat myself to a hair cut or colour. For me, this is really annoying as I get bored SO easily and change my hair colour all the time. Blonde is a really expensive to 1, colour your hair to in the first place, and 2, maintain. Trust me, I've been there. I've been blonde all over, I've been all shades of ombre, in fact I've had pretty much every hair colour under the sun.

Recently however I decided to jump the gun and bleach my own hair (eek!) I wasn't expecting the results to come out like they did and I was super impressed. Carry on reading to find out how I achieved bright blonde hair, on a budget, with NO damage (I know, it's a dream come true)

The Product That Made Me a Lush ADDICT!

Previously, Lush and I didn't get along too well. My social anxiety mixed with the lively (but lovely) staff at Lush just didn't work. In fact, I never really gave it a chance. I'd walk into a store, head down, ready to grab my go-to products and make a run for the tills. I'd never have time to browse the products due to the fear of being asked my favourite scent, for me to answer with either the generic 'fruity' or something stupid, like 'petrol' or 'tuna', you know, the standard answers?!

This post is not shaming Lush or their staff at all, yes, I'm often put off when I'm approached by staff in stores as I prefer to browse at my own pace and hate feeling pushed to buy a product, but at the same time, when I worked in retail, I loved helping customers, so I totally get it. 

Rice Krispie Marshmallow Treats

You will need:

60g butter or margarine

250g marshmallows (1 and a half bags)

Rice Krispies

100g White Chocolate

100g Milk Chocolate

Square Baking Tray

Wooden Spoon

Large mixing bowl

2 smaller bowls

2 tea spoons

How To De-Stress

  

There are certain points in my life where i feel like my I'm in a constant state of stress. It might be because I'm 19 and working a full time job whilst studying, it might be because I'm growing out of my family home but can't afford to move out yet, or it might just be me. Everyone goes through stressful periods in their life, and whether it's just an hour, a day, or even a few weeks, I've found the perfect ways to de-stess (because I've become a pro at it now!)

High-End Skincare Under £20

A few months ago, my skincare routine was almost non existent. I was well aware that I should be doing something to actively look after my skin, but slapping on a bit of moisturiser was as far as i would go. But alas, after speaking to a friend at work about her skincare routine, i decided to whip mine into shape. 

The thought of high-end skincare products became of interest to me, but as soon as I saw the prices I was put off. Skincare wasn't exactly at the top of my radar, and spending over £20 per product scared me when I had no idea what I was looking for anyway!  A few months down the line and I've found some amazing high-end products- all for under £20 each. I now have a solid skincare routine, use high-end products and still have money to burn. HOW? I hear you ask. Just wait until you hear this...

Elizabeth Arden Intervene Daily Moisturiser - £14.99

I imagine the words 'Elizabeth Arden' and 'Under £20' sound foreign to most people, and they did to me until I found this hidden gem for £14.99 in TKmaxx, having previously been sold for £35. The product has now been discontinued, but TKmaxx stores around the UK continue to sell this wonderful moisturiser. Not only is it of a perfect constancy, it smells devine and a little goes a long way. I use this every morning and night and wake up feeling super refreshed and my skin feels amazing. For a new user of high-end skincare products this is defiantly your best bet.

Elizabeth Arden Hydra-Splash Alcohol Free Toner

Again, I got this from TKMaxx, and amazingly it cost me £8.99, down from £18.99! (Imagine what that extra £10 you've saved could buy.) This toner works so well together with the Intervene Daily Moisturiser, and has the same clean and fresh fragrance.  I use this every evening after cleansing and before moisturising to remove any excess makeup and give my skin a healthy glow. It's also alcohol free (win!)

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

I used to hear no end of people raving about this product, and now I know why. Cleanser is one of the best ways to remove your makeup and any other impurities from your skin. Liz Earle cleanse and polish is available to buy either through their website, or from Boots from just £5.50, and an 100ml bottle is just £15.50. Until I actually looked in a store, I had no idea how affordable this product actually is. My skin feels so clean and soft once I have used this, and the feel of a hot muslin cloth on a cold winters evening is the best, believe me.

Let me know if you enjoyed this post- it's my first ever one! 

I have plenty of other secrets when it comes to budget beauty and homeware, so tweet me @ellslousie_ or leave a comment if you want to hear them!